Selection process under fire as bank head named

The next man in a suit to head up the World Bank will be a Korean-born, American-raised doctor with an impeccable background in academia and public health - and a little-known passion for hip-hop.

Jim Yong Kim's election as the bank's next president was announced last night, sparking a mixture of controversy over Washington's continued grip on the job, and intrigue over Kim's apparent competence on a dance floor.

The 52-year-old president of Dartmouth, an Ivy League college, had been favourite to replace the bank's current president, Robert Zoellick.

But for the first time in the bank's 68-year history, the US contender faced a serious challenge. Nigeria's finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and former Colombian finance minister Jose Antonio Ocampo had both contested the election.

Their failure to win has left many developing nations questioning the bank's selection process.